Tag: hope
The Cross is Just the Beginning
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24
It is just into the first century. The roads are dusty, the work is back-breaking, the nights are long. The religious leaders are corrupt, and the Roman Empire rules the region with an iron hand. Taxes are exorbitant and punishment is cruel. Beheading, strangling, being buried alive, and among the worst: crucifixion. Being hung on a cross. The people are afraid, looking for a savior.
A man called Jesus has risen from among them and has garnered a following. He teaches in the Temple, raises the dead, makes the blind to see, and feeds thousands from five loaves of bread and two fish.
The people begin to have hope, especially the twelve who are His constant companions, those He’s taken under His wing.
But He begins to talk of suffering. That He “must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Luke 9:22
And then He drops a bombshell.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
Those with Him look around at one another with a stunned and confused look on their faces.
Take up our cross? Daily? What is he talking about?
Jesus would predict His own death two more times. He would lead the way.
Still, His friends couldn’t grasp what He was saying.
The night comes and He is betrayed by one of them and dragged before Herod Antipas, the son of Herod of Great who was responsible for killing all the boys under the age of two when he heard that men had come to worship the one who was born King of the Jews. Herod Antipas sends him to Pontius Pilate, and Pilate sends Him first to be flogged, and then to the cross.
Jesus carries His cross until near collapse from exhaustion and pain. He is nailed to it, and lifted up to a punishment reserved for the worst of criminals. A punishment designed to not only torture and kill, but to shame and send a message to all those watching.
His friends scatter. Their minds are reeling from the events they’d just seen. They think back to the time Jesus said they must take up their cross.
Are we next?
Darkness comes over the land. Jesus dies and is buried in a tomb.
And that is that. Hope is lost. Death is the end.
But then the morning of the third day comes.
It is evening now and the disciples are gathered together in a room with the doors locked for fear of facing their own torture, grieving over the death of their friend and the hope He’d given them for a better life, when suddenly they hear –
“Peace be with you!”
It’s Him! Wait..is it? Is it a ghost? No! It’s Jesus! And their joy comes flooding back.
And again –
“Peace be with you!”
They laugh and hug and rejoice, and they realize death was not the end.
It was only the beginning.
Maybe the understanding about what He meant by denying themselves, taking up their cross and following Him came as slowly to them as it does to us. But He had given them a stark picture.
It doesn’t mean reluctantly accepting a disease, or a difficult relationship. It doesn’t mean sacrificing any one thing.
It means dying. To everything.
Sacrificing oneself.
Willingly, wholeheartedly, just as He had done.
The word Jesus used when He said “deny” themselves is aparneomai – to deny utterly. To disown.
If we want to follow Christ, to be His disciple, the only way is to follow Him all the way to the cross. Not a literal cross, of course, but a cross for the flesh, the self will. It is saying to the Father what He said in the garden: “Not my will, but yours be done.”
Christ might have in mind for us to go and do and say what we wouldn’t dare. Will we follow? Will we die to our desires, let go of our fears, and go with Him?
Dying to our wishes and desires, giving up the life we had in mind, is not the end!
There is the glorious morning. A new beginning.
It is the beginning to a bigger, better life than we had ever imagined. Infinitely bigger than a life of catching fish.
We will become fishers of men, and women and children and neighbors and family.
When we walk with the risen Christ, we are filled with Life ourselves, and all that He is and has for us.
Peace be with you!
Sunday Praise – 1 Peter 1:6-7
In Jesus Christ, nothing goes to waste. Not one trial, not one loss, not one rejection, not one tear. It will all be lifted up to Him in praise to His glorious name.
We praise you, Lord Jesus, for your finishing work and our glorious future to come with you.
Saturday Song – Your Love is a Song
As I thought about a song to post for today, immediately Switchfoot’s Your Love is a Song came to mind. It’s one of those songs with a hauntingly beautiful melody and equally mysterious lyrics. I went hunting for its meaning and lo and behold, found the thoughts of lead singer and writer of the song, Jon Foreman.
“For me, melody is a constant. I am always buzzing with some hook or rhythm or idea… (for example, I’ve got an idea in my head now from when I went surfing a few hours ago).
Sometimes I imagine the entire universe as a song, or an incredibly elaborate symphony- the sun is setting, there’s a kid staring at the evening train going by. People are falling in love. Fathers are apologizing to their sons after years of unspoken silence. Children are looking for the approval that only a mother can give.
I think of life as an interwoven and interconnected masterpiece. It’s like Lauren Hill and Kierkegaard say- everything effects everything.
Alongside these beautiful, pure notes there are elements of horrific dissonance. Parts of the symphony where the musicians are not following the score. To our shame, ours is a world of slavery, bigotry, and hate. Of Rwanda. Of Darfur. These atonal catastrophes on our Darkwater Planet would destroy the song if they could.
But love is a stronger song. Alongside the dissonance there is hope. There is forgiveness and joy singing alongside of hatred and despair. The song is still being written. Every day we choose whether we will submit to the score to sing along with love.
When I found out about the string theory it made a lot of sense. I pictured all the universe vibrating. Some instruments are out of tune. Some are not following the conductor. But love conquers a multitude of errors. Your love can cover even the atrocities that I’ve committed in my own life, even the times when my actions are horribly out of tune. Yes, even these have been mercifully forgiven and brought into the song.
There are reoccurring themes in my life. Because I write about the things I’m wrestling, these themes often find themselves in multiple songs. I used fight against this concept. Now I see these songs as interconnected, sequels in a real life documentary. One idea that I’m continually wresting with is the concept that the creator of heavens and earth would love a wreck like myself. This idea has been the seed for a few of my songs, they are a trilogy of sorts: ‘Let Your Love Be Strong,’ ‘Your Love is Strong,’ and ‘Your Love is a Song.'” ~Jon Forman
“By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me- a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:8
He is right. Love is woven throughout the history of the world, and it will not be overcome by evil. Love rises, love overcomes, love endures.
Love is offered to all in the form of the Son of God – Jesus Christ – and it’s up to each of us whether we will receive Him Who is love, or not.
Even if we’ve received Him and been transformed, we have a daily, hourly choice whether to hide His love with our fears, angers, and insecurities, or allow His love in us to rise to the surface and shine through our heartaches and trials. To let the rest of the world see that love is still alive, and with it hope and joy and peace.
When we do our life joins with the song of the ages – the love of God weaving all things together into a melody made beautiful in His time.
Saturday Song – Run Devil Run
“So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.” James 4:7-10 The Message
Finding Peace
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.” Luke 2:14
I had always set up our nativity scene on a buffet table right by the front door. Everyone who came and went saw it. Anyone in the living room or kitchen could see it. And I liked it that way. I always wanted Jesus to be front and center of Christmas.
Then we moved to a new house and the best place for the buffet was in the front living room. You know, that room no one ever goes into. The one that gets passed by on the way to the family (tv) room and the kitchen.
We started unpacking Christmas decorations and the nativity scene automatically went on the buffet. But I still wanted Jesus to be front and center, so I walked around the house looking for a more suitable place for him. Nothing seemed right. I didn’t want it where it could get broken. Some places weren’t big enough. Some were too high.
“But people will have to go out of their way to see it” I thought.
Yes, yes they will.
There was a lot going on that first Christmas in the little town of Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding regions. The first census had been ordered by Caesar Augustus, and there was a lot of traffic as people made their way to their tribal towns to be counted. Joseph and Mary traveled 70 miles…70 miles, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, while Mary was very pregnant.
They came into town, dusty and thirsty and exhausted. Maybe the birth pains had already begun. All they wanted was a place to lie down and prepare to give birth to the King of kings.
But there was no place for them. They knocked on doors, but everyone had gotten there ahead of them and every room was filled. Joseph and Mary found refuge where they could, somewhere near the animals, away from the crowd.
No one knew they were there. Not one person in that small but suddenly bustling town knew that just around the corner, in the still of the night, under the stars, was the center of the universe.
Those who heard were the shepherds out in the quiet field, suddenly hearing from a host of angels that the Messiah had been born. They left their lives for a moment, and went out of their way to see the Savior of the world, the One God’s people had been waiting for.
Some time later the magi left their lives for a moment, and went out of their way to follow a star to worship and bring gifts to the King of the Jews.
Christmas is a busy, bustling, noisy time of year. But really, when are our lives not that way? For most of us, not very often.
Our lives are full of busyness and running here and there. The world is full of chaos and anxiety, and is as short on peace now as it was then. It always will be. Funny though, how we can try looking for peace in the world, right in the middle of all that chaos.
But God calls us to come away.
Like the shepherds and the magi, when we come away from the noise, away from the hustle and bustle of the season no matter what season that may be, to worship the King, to see and hear from the Savior of the world, the Savior of our own lives, we will again find a miracle, wrapped in humility and joy and peace.
When we go out of our way to meet with Him and give Him our whole heart’s attention, He will be there, waiting, and we will be ready to receive Him and all He is and has for us.
This is God’s Will for You
“…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Thanksgiving week comes and we hear people talking about the things they’re thankful for. Maybe you sit around the Thanksgiving table and tell one another what you’re thankful for. But maybe you’re a little hard-pressed to think of anything to be thankful for this year.
God tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. All is a pretty inclusive word.
Not just the good stuff. But all the stuff. Now, I know that’s a really hard to thing to do sometimes. When you’re missing family members, when your health is bad, when the money is tight. Sometimes it’s an act of sheer will, of obedience, of faith that God is going to do something in and with those circumstances.
It’s easy to give thanks once that circumstance has passed and we can see the good the Lord has wrought in it. But we are to give thanks when we’re in the middle of the mess.
When we don’t see what God’s doing.
When we don’t know how long it’ll last.
When we don’t know how we’ll get through it.
But why is this God’s will?
Giving thanks in the storm makes us humble and crushes our pride. It keeps us from allowing bitterness and resentment to settle in, creating a Grand Canyon-sized gap between us and God. It keeps those vital communication lines open and that allows for His peace to flow into our hearts. It keeps us following Him, allowing Him to do the good He desires to do with those circumstances instead of going through them with no fruit at the end.
It’s no coincidence that God tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
Continually placing all circumstances in the Lord’s hands gives us His peace and assurance, and naturally – or more accurately, supernaturally – the thankful heart will come, and we can confidently go through any circumstance with hope and the joy of the Lord.
Once we’ve walked with the Lord a while, and I don’t just mean knowing who He is, or going to church on Sundays, but really walk with Him, day by day, circumstance by circumstance, conversation to conversation, we’ll see more and more that He is a Father we can trust. We can rest assured that He is with us no matter how far down in the pit we are, no matter how bleak the circumstances feel.
Remember, Jesus knows what it’s like.
For the One who gave His life for us, we live a life of worship, and all great acts of worship start with the first one – a thankful heart that’s trusting our Father’s goodness and grace to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
A Time for Prayer, Salt, and Light
There seem to be no words sufficient on a day like today in America, or on any given day in so many places in the world. So I turn to God’s Word to find His wisdom and grace.
“This is what the Lord says: ‘These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.’” Isaiah 66:2 NIV
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 NIV
Let us remember that we are all guilty of sin, and without the grace of God through the atonement of His Son, we would be deserving of the death He took in our place.
With that in mind, with humble and contrite spirits, and being one in heart and mind, let us join together in prayer before our gracious God, first in repentance of our own sin, and then seeking forgiveness on behalf of our nation.
And may we rise up as salt and light, revealing to the world the Father’s great love and mercy, praying that many hearts would turn to Him and we would see a fresh revival of His Spirit throughout our own country and the world.
“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 NIV
Hope in the Storm
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5
We’ve all faced a crisis at one point or another. If for some reason you haven’t, you will. Right now, today, you have a chance to prepare for the storm. Those who have faced them before will be wise to prepare for the next one.
I’ve been in the depths many times, sure it would be the last time. My soul sunk like a stone and laid on the ocean floor dying for a gasp of air. My cries for help seemed hopelessly muffled by the weight of the depths. Light seemed so very distant, the surface too far to reach.
But God’s arm is never too short.
All I have to do is reach up, take His hand and He will pull me to the light again.
The word hope in this emotionally drenched psalm means to wait; to be patient.
Though God takes my hand – and He takes every hand extended to Him – the storm may not abate immediately.
There is purpose in the storm.
Spiritual seeds implanted in my heart must be watered, and those sprouted must grow to fruition. My mind must be washed of the dirt of ungodly thinking, the air cleansed of my past guilt and shame.
Sometimes the Living Water comes down in a beautiful afternoon rain, and sometimes it comes down in torrents.
But God knows.
He knows what He’s accomplishing in the storms. He knows the clouds will drift away and the sun will shine again. And He knows the beauty that will live on afterward.
There are many people and things we can put our hope in when we’re facing a storm, but none them will bring praise to our lips at the end of the storm like hoping in God, our Savior, the One who lived, and died, and lives again to bring us into His presence.
So how do we prepare for the next time we find ourselves in a storm?
Take hold of His hand today, and don’t let go.
